U.S. Military, Construction, and Mining Industries Face Highest Heat-Related Death Rates
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on October 5 reveals that the U.S. military, construction, and natural resources and mining industries experience the highest rates of heat-related deaths among working-age adults. Between 2021 and 2023, approximately 2,030 heat-related deaths occurred out of nearly 2.5 million total deaths in this demographic. The national average was 0.3 heat-related deaths per 100,000 working-age adults. However, military personnel had a rate of about one per 100,000 annually, construction workers 0.83 per 100,000, and natural resources and mining workers 0.78 per 100,000. The study utilized national death records to identify heat-related deaths both within and outside the workplace, including those linked to occupational heat exposure that traditional surveillance might miss, such as heart attacks occurring after work hours. Hispanic and Black workers in construction and natural resources/mining faced more than double the odds of heat-related death co...
